In case you missed it...

Comcast has the full video and of Papelbon, I mean, Cinco Ocho..

so good so good so good

September 9th

19 Games Remaining

AL East -0.5
AL Wildcard +7
Wildcard Magic # = 13

Bring It!

September 8th

20 Games Remaining

AL East -1.5
AL Wildcard +6.5
Wildcard Magic # = 14

September 2nd

25 games remaining

-5 AL East
+3 AL Wildcard

Wildcard Magic Number = 23

Games remaining vs TB = 6

September 1st

26 Games Left
-5.5 AL East
+2.5 AL Wildcard

BAL @ BOS
NYY @ TB
MIN @ TOR

King of the world

Nothing is better than watching Dustin Pedroia hitting in the clean-up spot. As if the guy doesn't play hard enough -- the pressure is really on to live up to his mouth when he's batting clean-up. So what does that little guy do -- he gets on base every single at bat and plays an extraordinary second base. He is phenomenal. The only thing that is more fun to watch is Terry Francona running out to argue a safe call on Pedoria's behalf. Here's the play

and Don and Jerry awarded Tito the "Twisted but True" award for the play:

Best Virgin Nominee

Big Papi was nominated for the Best Virgin Relly Award on Regis and Kelly. The Best Virgin Award goes to the best first time guest. You can vote for Papi until midnight tonight Vote often, because Papi's up against Brad Pitt! Good luck, Papi! Here's the clip from his award nominated performance:

Eck on Yankee Stadium

Booty-licious!

Coco Crisp wins gold medal in vault

video courtesy of MASN and MLB.tv

Life is like a box of chocolates abscessed anal sac

My dog has an infected anal sac. Yup, it's as nasty as it sounds. It pretty much sums up life these days. Nothing life threatening, but definitely not pretty. Sums up last night's game too. The Sox are supposed to be a favorite to win the World Series, yet they have their utility infielder in the bullpen... Not pretty, but it is kinda funny. It really had Jim Palmer perplexed. In later innings, when the Sox didn't use Cora, thanks to a surprisingly great outing by Hideki Okajimi, Palmer decided that Cora must have just been goofing around out there. I wish that were the case!

video courtesy of MASN and MLB.tv

Congratulations, Dice-K

Thanks to his five walk outing last night, Daisuke Matsuzaka now leads the American League in walks. Somehow, he's also fourth in wins...
has the lowest opponent batting average with runners in scoring position and....

hasn't given up a run in the 14 times that he's loaded the bases. That's really amazing. And really, really, REALLY stressful.

Dear Sean Casey,

First of all, let me just say that I'm a big fan. I think you bring a great energy to the Red Sox and have really helped out the Sox this season. I think you are hilarious and fun and I love watching you laugh and smile. You hit like Ichiro-- knocking in everything thrown at you for a bloop hit. However, you do not run like Ichiro. You run more like an elephant..... with his feet tied together... You make Mike Lowell look speedy. It's okay. You are awesome and you do not need to run. Let the rookie do the running. Accept the fact that you cannot run and be okay with that. Please please please stop trying to stretch out hits for an extra base. You will be called out. Every time. Even if you are safe, because it'll be impossible for the umpire to believe that you beat the throw. Yeah, you really do look that slow. Sorry... peace, love, and double-plays, lynne

An argument against vest jerseys

I've always hated vest jerseys, but then again baseball fashion is, well, not exactly fashionable. And it's not like the guys aren't wearing t-shirts under the vests. I'd really be worked up if the boys were bearing armpits. I just pretend that they are wearing different colored sleeves. But last night, poor Tommy Hunter proved that vests are not okay.

Oh the screen cap barely does it justice.... Hunter had a tight tee on under his vest. I think the tight sleeves are probably far more functional than the lose sleeves, especially for a pitcher. You don't want all sorts of extra fabric bunching up around your shoulder and tighter is definitely warmer. However tight shirt + vest = fashion disaster. It's worse than high socks. It's worse than stirrups! I think that Jason Bay is happy to be a Red Sox not because of the chance to be on winning team, but he's happy to escape the god-awful VEST!

Nearing the end?

I've been worrying that Jason Varitek's recent batting slump is a sign that his career is nearing the end. However, boston.com reports that it's not his career, but his marriage that is ending. Apparently Tek filed for divorce at the end of July. Tek was married for 11 years with 3 kids, so I am sure it's a sad and stressful time for the captain. Undoubtedly, it's had an effect at the plate as well. I'm sure that once the dust settles, Tek's swing will be back in fine form.

Forgive and forget?

Alright, the boys did a good job of trying to distract me last night -- the baby-faced knuckler and the nearly 40 runs. What a wild ride it was. But it's morning and I'm still mad. Surely Sox fans remember the ALCS last year against the Cleveland Indians and we remember that Paul Byrd was busted for HGH use during that series, missing his start. Are we supposed to have forgiven and forgotten?? Come on -- we're Red Sox fans. Red Sox fans never forget...

I know the Sox need a starter as they make a playoff bid, I really do get it. I want the Red Sox to win. But I'm not convinced I want an admitted HGH user in the clubhouse. But I didn't want to be quick to judge, so I looked around. Byrd claims to have a tumor on his pituitary gland which causes him to be deficient in HGH, so his doctor prescribed it for him. . Ah that sounds convincing enough. But just to be sure, I looked him up in the Mitchell Report. Here's what George had to say:

On October 21, 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd had bought nearly $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center, one of the anti-aging clinics implicated in the Signature Pharmacy investigation, in thirteen transactions between August 2002 and January 2005. According to the story, Byrd used his credit card to purchase the substance and received more than 1,000 vials of human growth hormone in the transactions, which were sent to his home in Georgia, to the spring training facility of the Atlanta Braves, where he was playing at the time, and in one instance to a New York hotel.

In public comments in response to the article, Byrd admitted that he had been taking human growth hormone but said that he had been using it to treat a tumor on his pituitary gland. Byrd reportedly said that he had never taken “any hormone or drug that was not prescribed” to him by a doctor. The Chronicle reported that two of Byrd’s prescriptions had been written by a Florida dentist whose license was suspended in 2003. Byrd also reportedly said that “[t]he Indians, my coaches and MLB have known that I have had a pituitary gland issue for some time,” but Rob Manfred in the Commissioner’s Office denied that Major League Baseball had given Byrd or any other player a therapeutic use exemption for human growth hormone.

A dentist? The same dentist that prescribed HGH to other ballplayers, like Jose Guillen. Oh brother. If you want to really clear your name, you clear it. You show the MRIs of your tumor. He show your medical charts. You show your prescriptions. Your doctor speaks on your behalf.... Byrd knew that HGH was a banned substance in baseball, but has yet to present documentation that he was indeed a medical exception to the rule. If you know you are breaking the rules, you'd better document your excuses. I don't know if Byrd is telling the truth or not, but I can't find anything to convince me he's not guilty, that he didn't cheat. Yet, I'm supposed to cheer him on and hope he helps the Red Sox on the way to a championship. Maybe after his first win, I'll be able to put the past in the past. I'll forgive and forget. Who am I kidding? I'm a Red Sox fan...

What slump?

Jacoby Ellsbury ended his long slump this week in KC, concluding the trip with this lovely 3 run homer:
Redsox.com has the video

Big Papi celebrates Bay's 4 hits

Damn that wall!

There's a teeny little wall in the outfield in Kansas City that is getting the best of Jason Bay. When you are used to seeing the Green Monster out there, the Royals' little fence looks like a little league fence. It looks like it'd be easy to hit a ball over it. But somehow Jason Bay managed to hit 2 balls off the wall rather than over it. Just when I started cursing the little wall, this happened:

Video courtesy of FSN KC
It was reminiscent of Johnny Damon's near catch at Yankee Stadium early this year. Then a Kevin Youkilis would-be homer was knocked out of Damon's glove and perch on the top of the wall. This play was even more unlikely as the ball, while rolling along the top of the wall, was knocked down by the left fielder and put back into play, robbing Jason Bay of a homerun. The Sox went on to score all those runs on a Jed Lowrie base clearing triple, so no damage done!

A light moment

Last night I made a discovery -- the only thing harder to watch than a Dice-K walk-fest is a Clay Buccholz' walk-fest. In a disaster of a game, there was a light moment. The FSN announcers noticed gum stuck to Dustin Pedroia's helmet. It's good to know that at least the guys are having some fun in the dugout. =)